Unofficial news and tips about Google

December 15, 2010

Google Body Browser

Google has recently demoed an interesting WebGL application called Body Browser, which lets you explore the human body just like you can explore the world in Google Earth. Now you can try Google Body Browser before it's added to Google Labs, assuming that you have a WebGL-enabled browser:

* WebGL is available, but not enabled by default in Chrome 8 (the latest stable version). Type about:flags in the address bar, click "Enable" next to "WebGL" and then click on "Restart now". Please note that this is an experimental feature in Chrome 8.* WebGL is enabled by default in Chrome 9 Beta, Chrome 9 Dev Channel, Chrome Canary Build and Firefox 4 beta.

Damon Hernandez was surprised to notice that the application doesn't require a plugin. "Unlike other web based medical applications I have seen, no Flash, Java, or other plugins are needed. This application will run on any WebGL supported browser. (...) Last year I got the opportunity to work on an open standards based web3D medical app for learning the bones of the body. After witnessing how that app really helped students learn the bones, I am sold on using web3D for medical education."

So it tells me I need the DEv build. Fine. Then it takes me to landing page (in English), then it takes me to a French EULA (ignoring all my English language settings) and then uses a French UI to download the new build.

Then it tells me I can't install it because it's the same as what I have installed. Except I don't have a dev build installed, and never have. Merde.

Is it amazing that Google keeps providing some good free stuff! I am just glad that I don't need to spend money to buy a book or download a $4.99 ipad app to show my boy of how body function. Thanks Google!

"Unlike other web based medical applications I have seen, no Flash, Java, or other plugins are needed."It doesn't, but you need to download an entire special browser. I don't think i can call it a web page.

Nice. Some of the muscles are showing up as black though -- namely the facial mm, glutes, and iliocostalis. Missing some structures too -- pharyngeal mm among others. Also, there is a frontalis m, but no occipitalis m -- granted the same mm, but it is common practice to represent both names. Love the fact you can see the path of the cranial nn. This has great potential.

I tried using Canary Build and also tried just enabling the WebGL on my existing Chrome browser, but neither are working for me. The page almost loads, shows the slide-bar on the side, then gives me a blank screen. Any tips?

Great, now I can go back and finish the many Biology courses I skipped out on in favor of my chosen major.

I'm amused by the outrage over Google's "political correctness." I imagine the team figured most people are pretty familiar with the "sexual parts" or can find plenty of other "demos" if they're that put out about it . . .

I am using Firefox 4.0b7. When I click on "try Google Body Browser" I get a page that says I need "To use Body Browser, you'll need a Web browser with WebGL support. Click here to get the new Google Chrome beta, or visit khronos.org for more choices." But above it says that "* WebGL is enabled by default in Chrome 9 Beta, Chrome 9 Dev Channel, Chrome Canary Build and Firefox 4 beta." I checked "khronos.org" and "webgl.enabled_for_all_sites" is already set to true so I made no change. Suggestions?

This could be useful for artists. Need to see the skin. Also, a male option would be good too.

Also, it would be cool to be able to make the skin and fat layers thicker or thinner, so as to put the muscles under the (visible) skin in to greater relief: to see them as you would see them on a real human.

It is a pretty useful tool. However I think it needs some improvements: first of all you can't have a good image of the inside of the brain: the hippocampus and others...you can only click on them if you zoom very much but you can't have a good ansamble view..maybe you could include a separate 3d model for the different systems or for more complex parts of the body. then it is really a...let's say bad thing...the lack of sexual organs...in the end they're part of the human body and there are organs, nerves and muscles missing from the model, so it isn't completely accurate.

Definately needs improvement. Add all the organs, some physiology, and let the user have more options - then it may be USEFUL (not neat) to people above the 11th grade. Very dissapointed, however accept it as google's first attempt.

"If you have a reasonably recent ATI or Nvidia graphics card, you should be fine. If you have an Intel graphics chipset (common in laptops) then things are less good. The drivers that Intel provides for their graphics hardware don't support OpenGL very well, and right now the WebGL support in browsers works through OpenGL."

Try this software to find the OpenGL version supported by your graphics card. The minimum version required is OpenGL 2.0.

It needs more detail to be really useful to medical students. Anatomy students have to learn more than just the name of a bone, we have to learn the names of the different parts of each bone too! Every little lump and bump, groove, articulating surface etc of every bone has a name which medical students have to learn. We need to know the insides of every organ too, the various parts of the brain, liver, kidney, the lobes and bronchioles of the lungs, the chambers of the heart. I look forward to Google adding enough detail to make it useful for medical students and the like, rather than the current product which is chiefly going to be of value to school students and curious lay people.

Hey i guess that most be just perfect for medicine and health care students but has not worked for me with mozilla firefox 4 betacould somebody tell me please why?i have windows xp i dont know if it´s necessary to have vista or 7 please help meeeeeeeeeeeee

To get the Body Browser to work, you will need to download the separate Google Chrome Canary Build (nightly updates). Once you install it, you go back to the BodyBrowser.GoogleLabs.com page and it will automatically load the body for browsing with a navigation palette. To get the Canary Build, go to the Canary Build page of this blog. http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2010/07/google-chrome-canary-build.html

The Chrome 9 beta and Firefox 4 beta does not work with the Body Browser as it says on the page. Download the Canary Build of Chrome and it will work. http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2010/07/google-chrome-canary-build.html

It's a temporary issue. WebGL has been disabled in the latest beta build ( 9.0.597.45). You can manually add "--enable-accelerated-compositing --enable-webgl" to a Chrome shortcut's target field or wait until the issue is fixed in an upcoming build. You can also install a previous build, switch to the Dev channel, install Chrome Canary or Chromium.

Firefox 4 supports WebGL and you should be able to load Body Browser. If it doesn't work, then there's an incompatibility with the graphics card.

Body Browser used to work for me on old version of google chrome beta but after an update it said i dont have a WebGL enabled browser and the ability to enable webGL is not in the 'about:flags' page...

I installed beta 9 The Chrome 9.0.597.45.I activated the accelerated-compositing (about: flags / GPU Accelerated compositing = enable).Do not go!I installed the latest version of Canary chrome.Still no go!?I am totally disappointed and I do not know what to do.

Was wondering if there was a way to enhance the spinalis, semi-spinalis muscles (deep to the trapezius)without clicking on them individually. A feature that would let you omit major muscles (Pec. M., Trapezius, Lat. dorsi) to look at deeper muscles would be an amazing addition. Overall this is an amazing project, and I hope that it's development is pursued. Very good work Google

Compare this to Body Browser.For a limited time you may download FREE VERSIONs of "Muscle and Motion" and " All About Strength Training" interactive human anatomy software. These software packages are of great value to both medical students and training enthusiasts. The amazing animations are so professional that it is worthwhile viewing them even if you are not an anatomy fan.

"Muscle and Motion" makes studying Anatomy easy and enjoyable. Watch 3D muscles in motion. "Muscle and Motion" is a dynamic visual resource that makes musculoskeletal anatomy and Kinesiology easier to learn and understand. By seeing the actual muscles in motion, the brain processes the information in a way that makes it easier to remember and is guaranteed to increase your understanding and grades. There are more than 1,000 unique animations and video clips of the muscular system, skeletal system kinesiology and anatomy of movement.

"All About Strength Training" presents proper strength training exercise techniques inside and out in 3D. This software is an exercise encyclopedia and a visualization tool of 3D musculoskeletal anatomy and strength training. "All About Strength Training" provides over 250 strength exercise videos with an anatomical analysis of each exercise. This software is an interactive 3D anatomy of the muscular and skeletal system with kinesiology analysis of body movements. The software is of utmost importance to all those interested in strength and endurance workout theory, programs and methods, describing exercise physiology with unique animations.

To take advantage of this offer visit: http://www.muscleandmotion.com/freeversion.aspx

If this offer is of interest to you, then pass it on to a fellow student or a trainer. Let me know what you think.

Just wanted to say that body browser works on my laptop, but of the 2 webgl supported browsers I can only access it from google chrome 9, but on firefox 4 beta 11 I can only access body browser page but I cannot see any body figure or body part, just the side bar, the send feedback link and the search tool. The mouse pointer gets a crosshair aspect and that's it. Hope this description will shed some light on this issue.

Body Browser works well in Firefox 4, but you need a compatible graphics card and updated drivers.

Chrome has recently disabled WebGL in Windows XP because of the frequent crashes. "Because stability is one of Google Chrome's core principles, we've recently become stricter about requiring up-to-date drivers and graphics hardware by adding ranges of old drivers to Google Chrome's software rendering list."

It's a shame you are planning on retiring this. I know that you are planning on it, however, because a large yellow box appears on my screen, telling me so. It is so large that it blocks part of the model and there is no way to simply close it. I understand not supporting or updating this any more... but did you have to ruin it while it's still otherwise functional?

I was redirected to zygote media group page, I put my email and I have received a note saying: "You'll be the first to know when Zygote Body™ is officially launched". I hope that the google body browse should be free, especially for education.

I wished it would have been alot better.I mean when I first went on it.I was kinda disapointed.I thought it would be alot better and ever since I first used it.I never used it again.I am sticking with wikipedia and normal google.

I would like it to be like before, I am a student at school and was good to learn the digestive system, respiratory system, the circulatory system, in order that I would not be paid, for now we can't see:(